Maryland Dance Theater Collection
Abstract
Maryland Dance Theater, founded on the University of Maryland campus in 1971 by Dorothy Madden, performed contemporary dance in the DC and Baltimore metro areas until concluding in 1988. Its repertory embraced a wide variety of movement, styles, and theatrical concepts. The company also provided dance education through lecture demonstrations and master classes. The Maryland Dance Theater Collection consists of programs, photographs, correspondence, press clippings, publicity materials, various records of performance, and other organizational documents outlining its history. The Media formats in the MDT Archives are located in Nonprint Media Services. Paper documents, including photographs, are in Special Collections in Performing Arts.
Important Information for Users of the Collection
This collection is open for research.
Maryland Dance Theater Collection, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.
Materials from this collection must be used in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library's Irving and Margery Morgan Lowens Special Collections Room, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Please make an appointment with the curator.
This collection is PROCESSED.
Historical Note
Maryland Dance Theater performed contemporary dance in the DC and Baltimore metro areas until concluding in 1988. Its repertory embraced a wide variety of movement, styles, and theatrical concepts, and provided dance education through lecture demonstrations and master classes. The company was founded on the University of Maryland campus in 1971 by Dr. Dorothy Madden, the founder and first chair of the Department of Dance at the University of Maryland.
Born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, Dr. Madden received her Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College, her Master of Arts from Syracuse University and her PhD from New York University. She studied dance in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Tokyo and London, and danced in Washington with several companies including The Chamber Dance Group, Children's Dance Theatre and the companies of Pola Nirenska and Ethel Butler. She is a Professor Emerita of the University of Maryland, and Doctor Honoris Causa from the Federacion Francaise de Danse in Paris. Dr. Madden is also the author of You Call Me Louis, Not Mr. Horst.
From 1972 until 1988, the company came under the direction of Larry Warren with Anne Warren as Associate and Rehearsal Director. Both professors at the University of Maryland, Mr. and Mrs. Warren acted as choreographers, and she as a principal dancer, for the company in performances throughout the Mid-Atlantic States. It was under their direction that the Maryland Dance Theater earned nationally recognition. It became one of the few companies selected for the National Endowment for the Arts Touring Program, and appeared in series with other highly regarded dance companies such as Alvin Ailey and Paul Taylor. Now a Professor Emeritus, Mr. Warren is also the author of biographies on Lester Horton and Anna Sokolow, while Mrs. Warren, a Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Dance Studies, earned the "Arts Achievement Award in Dance" from Wayne State University. They jointly received the 1986 award "For Outstanding Service to Dance in Maryland" from the Maryland Council for Dance and the 2000-2001 Pola Nirenska Lifetime Achievement Award in Dance presented by the Washington Performing Arts Society.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Maryland Dance Theater Collection covers the period from 1973 to 1988. The collection contains programs, correspondence, press clippings, publicity materials, newsletters, financial records, reviews, and photographs outlining the company's history.
Custodial History and Acquisition Information
Processing Information
Processed by Jeni Dahmus, Mary Edsall, and Stephanie Keller, October 1998.
EAD markup created using EAD database in Microsoft Access. Markup completed by Colleen McKnight, January 2007. Markup checked and verified by Jennie A. Levine, January 2007.
Arrangement of Collection
This collection is comprised of one series.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series 1: Documents and Photographs, 1973-1988 (1.50 Linear Feet)
This series consists of programs, photographs, correspondence, press clippings, publicity materials, various records of performance, and other organizational documents outlining Maryland Dance Theater's history.
| Description | Series | Box / Reel | Folder / Frame | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-1984 Season: Archive Label, 1983-1984 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 1 | |
| 1983-1984 Season: Clippings, 1983-1984 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 2 | |
| 1983-1984 Season: Newsletters, 1983-1984 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 3 | |
| 1983-1984 Season: Correspondence, 1983-1984 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 4 | |
| 1983-1984 Season: Programs, 1983-1984 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 5 | |
| 1983-1984 Season: Publicity, 1983-1984 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 6 | |
| 1984-1985 Season: Archive Label, 1984-1985 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 7 | |
| 1984-1985 Season: Clippings, 1984-1985 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 8 | |
| 1984-1985 Season: Newsletters, 1984-1985 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 9 | |
| 1984-1985 Season: Correspondence, 1984-1985 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 10 | |
| 1984-1985 Season: Programs, 1984-1985 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 11 | |
| 1984-1985 Season: Publicity, 1984-1985 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 12 | |
| 1985-1986 Season: Clippings, 1985-1986 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 13 | |
| 1985-1986 Season: Correspondence, 1985-1986 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 14 | |
| 1985-1986 Season: Programs, 1985-1986 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 15 | |
| 1985-1986 Season: Publicity, 1985-1986 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 16 | |
| 1987-1988 Season: Clippings, 1987-1988 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 17 | |
| 1987-1988 Season: Correspondence, 1987-1988 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 18 | |
| 1987-1988 Season: Programs, 1987-1988 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 19 | |
| 1987-1988 Season: Publicity, 1987-1988 | series 1 | box 1 | folder 20 | |
| 1973-1974 Season: Archive Label, 1973-1974 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 1 | |
| 1973-1974 Season: Clippings, 1973-1974 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 2 | |
| 1973-1974 Season: Newsletters, 1973-1974 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 3 | |
| 1973-1974 Season: Correspondence, 1973-1974 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 4 | |
| 1973-1974 Season: Programs, 1973-1974 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 5 | |
| 1973-1974 Season: Publicity, 1973-1974 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 6 | |
| 1973-1974 Season: Record of performance, 1973-1974 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 7 | |
| 1975-1977 Season: ArchiveLabel, 1975-1977 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 8 | |
| 1975-1977 Season: Clippings, 1975-1977 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 9 | |
| 1975-1977 Season: Newsletters, 1975-1977 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 10 | |
| 1975-1977 Season: Correspondence, 1975-1977 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 11 | |
| 1975-1977 Season: Programs, 1975-1977 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 12 | |
| 1975-1977 Season: Publicity, 1975-1977 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 13 | |
| 1975-1977 Season: Financial, 1975-1977 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 14 | |
| 1975-1977 Season: Criticism, 1975-1977 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 15 | |
| 1978-1979 Season: Archive Label, 1978-1979 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 16 | |
| 1978-1979 Season: Clippings, 1978-1979 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 17 | |
| 1978-1979 Season: Newsletters, 1978-1979 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 18 | |
| 1978-1979 Season: Correspondence, 1978-1979 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 19 | |
| 1978-1979 Season: Programs, 1978-1979 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 20 | |
| 1978-1979 Season: Publicity, 1978-1979 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 21 | |
| 1978-1979 Season: Criticism, 1978-1979 | series 1 | box 2 | folder 22 | |
| 1980-1981 Season: Archive Label, 1980-1981 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 1 | |
| 1980-1981 Season: Clippings, 1980-1981 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 2 | |
| 1980-1981 Season: Newsletters, 1980-1981 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 3 | |
| 1980-1981 Season: Correspondence, 1980-1981 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 4 | |
| 1980-1981 Season: Programs, 1980-1981 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 5 | |
| 1980-1981 Season: Publicity, 1980-1981 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 6 | |
| 1982-1983 Season: Archive Label, 1982-1983 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 7 | |
| 1982-1983 Season: Clippings, 1982-1983 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 8 | |
| 1982-1983 Season: Newsletters, 1982-1983 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 9 | |
| 1982-1983 Season: Correspondence, 1982-1983 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 10 | |
| 1982-1983 Season: Programs, 1982-1983 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 11 | |
| 1982-1983 Season: Publicity, 1982-1983 | series 1 | box 3 | folder 12 | |
| Photographs, undated | series 1 | box 3 | folder 13 | |
| Journal of performance, undated | series 1 | box 3 | folder 14 | |
Related Material
Video of the Maryland Dance Theater are available from Nonprint Media Services located in Hornbake Library. Some of the titles included in the collection are listed below.
- Dances by Anne Warren. Maryland Dance Theater. DVD. GV1783 .D366 2005. Contents: Simple symphony (15 min.) -- Mosaic (12 min.) -- Dance for strings (15 min.) -- Damascene (10 min.) -- Duets (11 min.) -- Dance rhythms (7 min.) -- Dance in red (6 min.) -- Damascene: studio performance (10 min.)
- Dances by Larry Warren. Maryland Dance Theater. DVD. Call Number: GV1783 .D367 2005 vol. 1. Contents: Another voice (5 min.) -- Groundplan (26 min.) -- Playlet (19 min.) -- Post cards : 1981 performance (18 min.) -- Post cards : 1982 performance (18 min.)
- Dances by Larry Warren. Maryland Dance Theater. DVD. Call Number: GV1783 .D367 2005 vol. 2. Contents: Party game (21 min.) -- Poems for a poet (34 min.) -- Playlet : 1980 performance (19 min.) -- Excerpt from Party game (15 min.)
For other related archival and manuscript collections, please see the following subject guides.
Bibliography
"About the Dance Department." 2002. Department of Dance, University of Maryland, College Park. 08 January 2007. <http://www.dance.umd.edu/aboutthedancedepartment.html>
"Department of Dance Faculty." 2002. Department of Dance, University of Maryland, College Park. 08 January 2007. <http://www.dance.umd.edu/Personnel/Faculty/annewarren.html>
Bobrowsky, Stephanie. "MDT: Dancing into its Second Decade" Precis: Faculty/Staff Newsletter of the University of Maryland, College Park Campus. Volume 11, Number 22. Februray 23, 1981.
Selected Search Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the University of Maryland Libraries' Catalog. Researchers desiring related materials about these topics, names, or places may search the Catalog using these headings.
Subjects
- Modern Dance